Arsène Wenger has said an announcement on his future will be made after Arsenal’s FA Cup final with Chelsea next Saturday.
The Gunners boss is entering the last few months of his current contract, and the Frenchman’s future has been the focal point of much discussion in the football world recently.
Teasing the media
After teasing the media over the past few months about what he plans to do, Wenger has finally announced that his future will be decided at a board meeting after the FA Cup final on May 27th.
The Arsenal manager said: "There are many aspects to be discussed at a board meeting. One is what happens with the manager. Of course I will be there. At the moment we should focus on the short term and what is going on on Sunday and in the cup final."
It is reported that current situations with Alexis Sánchez and Mesut Özil will also be discussed in this board meeting, as both players have just 18 months remaining on their contracts, and the duo are reported to be highly-sought-after players in the upcoming summer transfer window.
Wenger added: "Maybe one day I might be able to speak about that [the futures of Sánchez and Özil], but I don't question their determination and focus because every game they turn up with strong performances."
Extreme scrutiny
The 67-year-old has been under extreme scrutiny from a divided Arsenal fan base. Wenger has been the subject of fan protests both home and away, two airplane protests, and more recently a fan walk-out in Arsenal’s 2-0 win at home to Sunderland on Tuesday night.
The Gunners have endured one of their worst Premier League seasons under Wenger’s reign. With Champions League football unlikely to be at the Emirates next season, Arsenal could spend a season in the Europa League group stage for the first time ever.
The last time the Gunners were in the competition, Arsenal came runners up to Turkish giants Galatasaray in 2000.